Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

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Coeur d’Alene is a resort city in northern Idaho. French fur traders named the local tribe of Native Americans ‘Coeur d’Alene’ due to their alleged tough negotiating and trading tactics. In French, ‘Coeur d’Alene’ literally translates to “heart of the [stitching] awl”, meaning “sharp-hearted’ or ‘shrewd.’ The first Americans to explore the area was the North West Company, led by David Thompson in 1807. However, it wasn’t until General William T. Sherman ordered a fort to be built on the lake (now also referred to as ‘Coeur d’Alene’) in the 1870s that a settlement began. The original Fort Coeur d’Alene was built and a city gradually spread out from there. Coeur d’Alene was officially founded in 1878 and incorporated in 1887.

Today, according to a 2013 US census estimate, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho has a total population of 46,402 people. This makes Coeur d’Alene the largest city in Kootenai County, Idaho. The city also serves as Kootenai’s county seat. Coeur d’Alene’s metropolitan population is 144,265, which makes it the 283rd most populous metropolitan area in the country. Coeur d’Alene is located only 30 miles from Spokane, Washington, so they share a Combined Statistical Area. According to a 2014 US census report, this combined statistical area has a population of 679,989 people. This makes it the 71st most populous combined statistical area in the United States.

Coeur d’Alene is mostly known for its tourism, due to the resorts located in the area. Coeur d’Alene, however, also serves as the site of the Republican Nation Headquarters for Western States. This has caused Coeur d’Alene’s population to grow significantly in the past several years.

Coeur d’Alene is also considered northern Idaho’s hub for healthcare, education, media, manufacturing, retail, and recreation. The city is home to the headquarters for several companies, including Hecla Mining and The Pita Pit. The largest employer in Coeur d’Alene, however, is the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

The Coeur d’Alene Resort is a luxury hotel located on the north shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene. It was established in 1991 and features an 18-hole golf course. One of these holes, ‘The Floating Green’, is located on the actual lake itself.

The Coeur d’Alene area also features two skiing resorts. Silver Mountain Resort is located on Kellogg Peak, which has a top elevation of 6,297 ft (1,919 m). Silver Mountain Resort features 67 runs in total. It opened as “Jackass Ski Bowl” in January 1968 on Wardner Peak. Schweitzer Mountain Resort, on the other hand, is located in the Selkirk Mountains. Schweitzer Mountain Resort features a top elevation of 6,400 ft (1,951 m) and 92 ski runs in total. The mountain was named after a Swiss hermit and serial cat murderer. After he was sent to an asylum, Schweitzer Mountain Resort officially opened in the fall of 1963.

Coeur d’Alene does not feature any professional sports teams. The city does, however, host the annual Ironman Coeur d’Alene, which began in 2003. This Ironman Triathlon is held in June: it “starts at the Coeur d’Alene resort…with a 2.4 miles (3.9 km) swim in Lake Coeur d’Alene, followed by a 112-mile (180 km) bike ride, finishing with a 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run.”

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